Are you getting ready for the most exciting part of the offseason where the free agent courting period begins and the Oilers rumors start flying high and hard?
But just a preface before getting into what I was told.
I’m not an insider per se. What I mean by that is, just as most people back home in Canada or the United States, they know people who know people involved with hockey clubs. I’m just lucky enough to know a few people close to the Oilers organization and I just relay what I’m told. Nothing more and nothing less. Is any of it true? I’m of the belief that a percentage of it is.
Now, you don’t have to take what you read here as the gospel and I’m sure that none of you will because not everything that I’m told comes to fruition as negotiations can change at the flip of a switch. So at the very least, take what you read here today as entertainment, water cooler talk if you will and if what you read here on Beer League Heroes comes true someday, high fives all around!
Click on the image to see Patrick Marleau’s career stats!
This came in late last night from one of my sources (who is neither Garfield nor Tracy Lane but she’s “reporting” it as well on Twitter):
“Todd McLellan is talking to Marleau about the possibility of signing with Edm. But, Oilers brass really likes boyle. Boyle is supposed to come for a private visit (No media) on Tuesday or Thursday. As for Pitlick, Oilers are definitely interested in bringing him back, but it’s believed that he DOES want to test the market. See what nibbles he gets.”
I asked about dollars and term and the response was thus:
“Marleau would be a 2 year term probably. Looking at atleast $3M per. Atleast. If not, more. This is Patrick Marleau were talking about”
“Pitlick is looking at a 2 or 3 year deal. If edm only offers another 1 year, he’s gone. I believe he’s looking for $2M-$2.5M on that term“
I don’t think that the Oilers can afford to sign Pitlick for that price point and that’s too bad. I really like him.
I didn’t really get anything with regards to contract details on Boyle but I was curious how these contracts might hit the salary cap and was offered this bit of insight:
“Oilers can offer max $3.5M.”
“If you only go 2 years. Any longer than that, it’ll f*ck your cap.”
“Still have to sign Kassian too. And find a stop gap D. 3-4 names for stop gap D are Stone, Franson, Wideman and 1 more.”
So that means the team is most likely out on Nick Bonino because he’ll be getting around $4M or more, right?
My Thoughts:
I think this would be an outstanding move. If Marleau could come in on a 2yr deal @3.5M and replace Eberle’s points for two and a half million dollars cheaper… Beauty.
Imagine the wealth of playoff knowledge and experience that would come along with a Patrick Marleau.
And this is a player that turns it on during the post-season as opposed to the player that was just sent to Brooklyn. 120 points in 172 games played in the playoffs. That is bloody good my friends.
I think a lot of people would be worried about the faceoffs and how Marleau has been a winger more often than a centre in his career. Well, his career FO% is 51.3 and that’s a number I can accept.
Between Boyle and Marleau, it’s a tough call isn’t it? There’ll be more teams lining up for the “younger” and bigger Boyle for sure. Hard to say if the Oilers could get him to sign for under $3.5M and only for a couple of years though.
Patrick Marleau, on the other hand, is closer to 40 years old than 30 and has a history with Todd McLellan. He can still skate and he can still put points on the board but what is more important right now, production or size + elite faceoff abilities?
The Oilers nearly made it to the conference finals without a stud on the dot right? But there were nights when they could’ve used a bit more production.
So stay tuned folks. Silly season is upon us!
Grab the new Kassian tribute t-shirt now! Click the image above!Pick up the NEW “Beat His Ass” shirt right now!!Join the Kris (Russell) Army and forever be protected from slap shots, wrist shots, or shots from the analytics crowd!Click the image and head over to our Teepublic shop to grab some sweet BLH merch.
Finally had the time to sit down and have a good conversation with one of my sources and I’m happy I did. Lots of Oilers talk was tossed about but I’ll keep this brief.
As I do each time I report what I’m told, please don’t shoot the messenger. I just let you guys/gals know what I’m told. There’s probably a less than %5 chance that any of this happens and things change all the time. If you don’t believe me, send me the batting average of McKenzie, Dreger, LeBrun, etc. So take it all with a grain of salt. If anything it’s great entertainment and excellent water cooler talk.
The conversation didn’t start on an Oilers note though:
“Patrick Kane is on the verge of being shopped by the Hawks. They need cap space. HOLY SH*T!!!”
“Everyone that isn’t named Toews is for sale!”
“(Hawks) Fans will hate whatever happens. That’s just the way it is. But if the Hawks want to remain a successful team, they need to make those tough deals, deals that they’ll probably lose, to make things work. Hossa shouldn’t have received his current contract, Anisimov, Panarin, the list goes on. Awful cap management. Now they’re paying for it and they’ll most likely have to dismantle their team. That Hawks team won’t win the Cup for a very long time now.
“In a cap system, it’ll be very hard to trade those contracts.
“I expect VAN, LA, or ARZ to be in the mix.”
Well, I didn’t expect to be talking about the Hawks but that’s some pretty big news given that the rumors started quite recently some big move(s) that Chicago would be making.
My thoughts about this are that they’ll get the most for Kane and trading him would allow the Hawks to remain competitive. I mean, what if they could get Max Domi, Dylan Strome, and a 1st rounder out of Arizona? Patrick Kane is still one of the best, if not THE best, winger in the game, he’s still young and moving him to a club like Arizona, where they have a plethora of great young talent coming through their system as well as the need for a face for their franchise if they choose to stay in Arizona or relocate to, I don’t know, Seattle.
Anyways, I don’t cover the Hawks nor do I really enjoy them as a team. So let’s move on to the other tidbits.
“Vegas will claim M.A. Fleury and flip him. The rumor at the moment is Sam Bennett going back to Vegas for Fleury.”
Makes sense. Bennett has loads of potential but doesn’t seem to be fulfilling that in Calgary. Perhaps a move to a club where he’d be more of a focal point would benefit him. And Calgary needs a keeper. Plus the fanbase down the QE2 is always complaining about how the Oilers got all the 1st overalls…
I asked, How much is there to the Buchberger/Eberle rough relationship Friedman was talking about this week?
“Pretty accurate. I don’t see it happening. Friedman knows what he’s talking about.”
That was a follow up on a very popular post regarding the Eberle/Isles rumors being snuffed out by Friedman I did up this week.
I asked about who the Oilers are leaning towards in the 1st round of the draft coming up.
“I’ve heard Kailer Yamamoto.”
I also inquired as to the McDavid/Draisaitl contracts.
“Shortly after July 1st probably and they’ll sign together.”
The word on Kris Russell.
“Hearing $4.5Mx4. Oilers could be willing to go as high as $4.25M for 4 years. We’ll see.”
“They’re also looking at Cody Franson on a 1-year deal worth $4M to cover for Sekera but will try to sign him for less.”
“$4M is fair market for a top 4 dman.”
“They want Kris Russell back.”
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I’m torn on this. I think this says a couple of things regarding Darnell Nurse’s development. Either they’re not happy or skeptical on how it’s going or they’re willing to pay Russell over $4M to play bottom-pairing minutes at some point in his deal. Either way, it’s a point of concern.
One has to wonder if Chiarelli is open to moving Nurse to expedite the process of winning the Cup. I wouldn’t.
As far as Franson, I’ve heard that he’s not the most mobile defender in the league and $4M per seems like a lot of skrilla to give a guy who can’t pivot well and is a tad soft.
What about Spencer Foo? Is he coming to Edmonton?
“He is. He’s coming to Edmonton.”
On Tyler Pitlick,
“I expect Pitlick to get another contract. Another 1-year deal to take Hendricks’ spot because Hendricks is done in Edmonton. Pitlick has had the injury bug like Klefbom. He needs to come back with more muscle and a bigger body. That way, He doesn’t get hurt as much. That’s exactly what Klefbom did.
At the end of 15/16, Klefbom was around 205lb and at the start of 16/17, he was around 217lbs. The result, Klefbom finally had a full season.”
“I hope Nuge bulks up too. His lack of upper body strength is killing him. An extra 5lbs of upper body muscle would make a HUGE difference.”
I really hope that this is true and it really happens. Pitlick showed last season that he can float throughout the entire lineup and he can score on basically any line. He’d be a perfect replacement for Matt Hendricks too. Although, I hope the Oilers can keep Hendy on in some capacity. Maybe working with the prospects down in Bakersfield.
Grab the new Kassian tribute t-shirt now! Click the image above!
— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) November 21, 2016
That is the Oilers protection list for the upcoming expansion draft. I found it over on TSN’s site here. Basically, it’s an article from TSN insider Frank Saravalli about how all the Canadian NHL teams protection lists might look come expansion draft time. We’ll find out who has gone where on June 21st, 2016.
So Saravalli, along with Pierre LeBrun and Craig Button, picked each team’s protection lists and this is what they had to say about the Edmonton Oilers’ list:
Twenty-five-year-old left-shot defenceman Brandon Davidson jumps off the page as the Oilers’ most vulnerable asset. His game took a huge leap last season with his ability to play the off-side on defence. But Davidson has been out since the season opener and rookie Matt Benning, who plays the right side naturally, has capably filled in, leaving Davidson potentially expendable.
Tyler Pitlick has played himself onto the protection list this season. Benoit Pouliot will likely be exposed because of his contract (two more years at $4 million per season).
The main argument here is coming from the analytics community and folks such as Oilersnation and Hockeybuzz writer, Matt Henderson.
This tweet re: Tyler Pitlick’s inclusion
If you've got room for Tyler Pitlick on your expansion protection list, things are OK for you.
I like Pitlick and also see him in the same Fernando Pisani-type manner that Lowetide does. But is there a threat from Las Vegas that he’d be taken if exposed? Could Jujhar Khaira replace Pitlick in the Oilers’ bottom six next season? Could Tyler Benson? Could Cal Clutterbuck (UFA this summer)?
I question Pouliot’s ELITE 5v5 scoring a bit due to the fact his highest scoring season was 36 points and he’s done that twice, once with the Rangers in 2013/14 and last season w/Edmonton.
I know how one could look at his time in Edmonton and say that Pouliot is indeed an excellent producer given in his two previous years with the Oilers he put up some very nice totals whilst being limited to injury.
in 2014/15 he had 34 points in 54 games and in 2015/16 he had 36 points in 55 games. That being said, in 2014, his shooting percentage was 18.1% and in 2015, it was 12.8% but he’s always had some gaudy shooting percentages over the course of his career.
Anyways, we get back to the ELITE 5v5 numbers for Pou. According to stats.hockeyanalysis.com, from 2012-2015, Benoit Pouliot’s points/60 (5v5, 2000 minutes TOI minimum) was ranked 55th in the NHL w/1.96. He was sandwiched in there with the likes of Jason Spezza, Patric Hornqvist, Nick Foligno, and Jason Pominville. He was better than Daniel Sedin, Joe Pavelski, Alex Ovechkin, and Henrik Zetterberg, to name a few of the more prominent names.
So Mr.Henderson does indeed have a point here. I’m just not sure I put tons of value into it because he had only one healthy season in there (80 games played 2013/14 w/New York).
Another major argument is the disclusion of Brandon Davidson and my counter to that is the team has a young kid named Matt Benning playing right now and Chia’s summer signing is staying healthy and proving to be one of the team’s best defenders, much like Davidson did last year.
I also like to point out that there are going to be some very nice dmen available for Las Vegas to pick this summer and I wouldn’t be surprised at all of Davidson was skipped over because of his inability to stay healthy.
I mean that injury concern could very well be a blessing in disguise for the Oilers if he indeed is passed over. Depth on the backend is of the utmost importance these days. Another thing is, Davy can skate, move the puck, plays the body and he has a cannon!! He’s just shy to let ‘er fly. We’re finding out the value of blueliners who can skate and move the puck to be growing every year, regardless of what the fancies say (right Kris Russell?).
My surprise is that Letestu is on this list.
The Oilers have a young team with a lack of right-handed veteran pivots. Now that’s not to say that Letestu should be lining up in the top 6 but he serves a very important role in the bottom 6. I put value in what a hard working veteran can bring to the team. I was disappointed when Boyd Gordon was dealth because he was VERY good at his role.
I reckon that Kassian could be the one left off in lieu of say Brandon Davidson or Mark Letestu.
There’s one thing that could throw that list for a bloody loop and that’s IF the Oilers obtain a top 4 defenseman to run their PP. Like a Dougie Hamilton for instance… Then their list goes from a 1-3-7 to a 1-8 and players like Maroon, Pitlick, and Kassian would be exposed anyhow.
What do you think about TSN’s list? Let us know in the comments below!
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I’m not a huge fan of road trips when it comes to the Oilers. Not because they are usually a recipe for extended losing streaks but those games are right bloody early in the AM Taiwan time… Ranging from 3am to 7am. I’m sure there are other countries with worse time differences and I feel bad for you too.
The result is that I have to steer clear of all forms of media online because watching a game whilst knowing the result is just a waste of time. I’d much rather go to the trouble of meandering through the links online to get to my feed on NHL Gamecenter.
So, I’ve been having to catch up on the games this past 7 days or so. My thoughts:
Nov.1st vs. The Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs did a fine job of shutting down the Oilers’ top line. Was Kadri being a dick the whole night? Yes. Was that his job? Again, yes. Who wasn’t doing their job in that game? Perhaps Lucic, Maroon, or Zack Kassian. I agree with Don Cherry on this one, Nazem Kadri shouldn’t have been able to touch McDavid after that scrum behind the net that left McDavid chuckling.
It was a 3-2 OT loss, so going away with at least one point was a plus, not having Matthews, Marner or Nylander embarrass them, and seeing Klefbom, Puljujarvi, and Nurse walk away from the game with a combined 21 shots was tight.
Nov.3rd vs. The Rangers
The Rangers are making a mockery of some of the best teams in the league, so for the Oilers to hang in there until there was about 90 seconds left is a testament to the team they’ve become. Sure Benning took a lot of shit for that bobble that led to the go-ahead goal but Milan Lucic better have bought the team dinner after that failed assignment in front of the net.
Nov.5th and 6th vs. The Islanders and Red Wings
Back-to-backs on the road rarely end up with the away team picking up all four points unless you’ve been coming through Alberta the past few years. I will say this about these two match-ups, I left feeling less than impressed. Both games were pretty low scoring but both games also saw some dynamite saves from Cam Talbot and Jonas Gustavsson.
The Islanders game saw the Oilers go down with mass casualties, so that didn’t help their cause but it made the win taste a bit sweeter. The Islanders are a mess right now, a hot tire fire of a mess. I couldn’t help but think it wasn’t an Oilers season if the star rookie didn’t go down with a blown out knee after Seidenberg decided to clip the Finn…
As for last night’s game against the Wings, Tyler Pitlick man. He looked facking beauty alongside Lucic and Draisaitl. His forechecking really played well with the heaviness of Lucic and the playmaking of Leon. I also thought Jordan Eberle had a fantastic game. That setup of Maroon in the slot was the things dreams are made of. I’m sure Patty is on for the next round of beers after that miss.
A question, why is Anton Slepyshev never in the conversation as a player that could spend some time on McDavid’s wing instead of automatically sticking Puljujarvi up there or talking about acquiring a winger? The Russian has got speed and size, he’s gritty, and he can shoot the puck… Just a thought.
But one player stood out for both games and he’s actually been standing out for some time, that player being Darnell Nurse.
Good lord has he taken the next step in his development. His skating is smooth and his stride is powerful. His shot is getting on the net. His hockey IQ is really coming along as he’s picking his spots much better this season. I think he’ll end up in the top 4 by the end of the year with maybe Kris Russell taking his spot on the bottom pairing.
PITLICK/HALL/YAKUPOV
Tyler Pitlick – 4 goals
Taylor Hall – 5 goals
Nail Yakupov – 2 goals
What universe are we in where a 4th liner, in Edmonton no less, is keeping pace with two former first overall picks?
Hall failed to put up a point in the Devils shellacking of Carolina yesterday and has now gone 5 games without scoring a goal. Was a solid -1 though.
Yakupov has been a healthy scratch two games in a row now for the Blues. This after their coach said he’d be back in on Sunday… I imagine Igor Larionov is getting ready to pay Blues GM Doug Armstrong a visit soon. I mean if you’re going to bring a guy along slowly, it doesn’t get any slower than having him sit in the pressbox while your team dismantles the Colorado Avalanche to the tune of 5-1.
BONES TO PICK
Where are all the fans who were crying about Lucic’s non-production now? Where are all the fans who wanted Jordan Eberle traded after last week? Are the ones who were convinced the Oilers would lose the “scheduled loss” last night with Jonas Gustavsson in net still around?
There’ve been some unsavory streaks broken this year as well. Wasn’t Ryan Miller undefeated in regular time vs Edmonton up until the Oilers beat Vancouver? That win versus the Islanders was their first on Islanders ice since 1999. Jimmy Howard was 13-1-2 with a 1.96 GAA and a .926 sv% against the Oilers before last night and the Oilers hadn’t beat the Red Wings in Detroit since 2009.
Am I leaving anything out?
If you haven’t noticed, this season is not going to be like any other season the Oilers have had in the previous ten years. This year you need to expect the unexpected.
Did you expect Anton Lander to be playing as well as he has?
Did you expect Tyler Pitlick to still be healthy?
Did you think that the Oilers PK would be amongst the league’s best?
Were you expecting the Oilers to beat St.Louis and Washington?
I bet you didn’t think that Taylor Hall and Nail Yakupov were going to be moved either…
Did you reckon Adam Larsson would be as good as he’s been?
The same “fans” that were chastising the Oilers for signing Kris Russell are the same guys who shit on them for playing Matt Benning. I’d say Kris Russell had a huge hand in the Oilers starting the season the way they did and Matt Benning has played very well since being recalled considering his rookie status. Like am I missing something, can I have my cake and eat it too or is the world still round? Oilers win two games w/o Russell and w/Benning, so what…
THE SKY IS FALLING!! SOME PLAYERS ARE PLAYING WELL AND THAT’S TAKING ME OUT OF MY COMFORT BUBBLE. THE NUMBERS TOLD ME THEY’D CRAP THE BED AND IF I DON’T BELIEVE WHAT THE PDO GODS ARE TELLING ME, WHAT AM I TO DO?…
Yet there are still people out there that don’t believe in this team and paid writers who continue to deny what’s going on. Now, I can’t be sure if those writers are genuine in their online musings because I know of writers past who made a pretty good living being contrarians. It’s a dishonest way to go about life but hey, who am I to judge. I’m not sure what it will take for the cynics to get on board but maybe they should stay where they are on Pessimistic Ave. The numbers tell me they’ll be happier there and watching McDavid tells me I’ll be happier where I am.
Awwww yeeeeaaaah! What’s up! It’s your Psychedelic Pspaceman, the Electric Cowboy, a.k.a. Kosmic Burrito back with a hot fire mixtape fo’ that azzzzz….
What? No? My bad, wrong trip….ugh this is so awkward now. I better go take off my M.C Hammer pants.
Hey BLH’ers, it’s been a few minutes since we chilled, and I’m excited to be back here in the Beer League Heroes Universe! What I’ve got cooking in the Kosmic Kitchen today is a healthy mixture of random thoughts and different trips that I’ve been on. Bon appetit!
Man, has this guy been magical or what? Ok Ok, minus that Buffalo game and Talbot has been money so far. After a slow and rough start last year, he has erased any doubts in my mind of that becoming a reoccurring trend this season. First off, though, congrats to the brand new Daddy! Twins as well! Wow, that makes his start to the season that much more impressive to me. I’m a father myself, I have three sons aged nine, eight, and five. But I could not imagine having to handle two newborns at once, AND being an NHL netminder. So that is why my hat is tipped to you, Papa Cam. Twins, and a great run so far.
As of today, his stat-line looks like this: He has a GAA of 2.31 which is tied for 20th in the league, and he sports a SV% of .927 which places him 15th in the league. He’s played in 11 games and his record is 7 W’s, 3 L’s, and 1 OTL. I think it’s safe to say that he’s cementing himself as a true Number One netminder in the NHL. My only fear is that we’re going to have to give him a rest soon, and eventually have to give The Monster his turn in net. DUN DUN DUNNNN…
ICYMI, @Pitty687 already has a career high in goals this season, sniping three through the first five #Oilers games. pic.twitter.com/1nkqEOM698
To quote the incomparable Mr. Gord Downie, “It’s been a long time running. It’s well worth the wait”. I think this can apply to Tyler Pitlick, who looks like he has finally arrived. But for how long, though, right? I mean yes, he is filling a 4th line role quite admirably, but they have some dudes coming back from injury sooner or later (IE: Hendo, Pakarinen, & Caggiula). And hockey is a business, right? But Pitlick for sure has my backing. I love this guy; he hits anything moving, has blazing speed, and his tenacity for the puck is fantastic. After all the setbacks that he’s had from injury, *knocks on wood* I hope that this is finally the year that he gets to play a full season. He’s been great so far and his work ethic is incredible. I’ll even step out on a limb here, if Pitlick can play a full season and was actually bumped up to 3rd line minutes, I think that he could score 15+ goals and possibly add another 15+ helpers. Like I said, he’s been dynamite in his role so far this season. I for one hope that he sticks it out all year. I can’t help but root for the underdogs, I mean, I am an Oilers fan right? So far this season, he has posted a stat-line that looks like:
11GP 3G 1A 4P 0 +/- (he’s on track for 21 goals at this point, can he maintain that pace? Probably not)
Considering he only has seven points in his entire NHL career (all of 38 games played), this is a fantastic start to the year for him. The Oilers have benefited from a healthy Pitlick in the lineup, I’m sure we can all agree on that. I for one would rather see Pitty stay in the lineup than Hendo or PakMan. But that’s just my opinion
Taylor Hall text to Jordan Eberle: congrats on being the new whipping boy bud.
Is Ol’ Man Eberle getting a bit grumpier as time passes? Seriously, though, is it just me or has this guy’s “board play” vastly improved this season? I’ve made a point to literally try and watch every game this season, and so far it’s been mission accomplished. Yes, I am married with kids, so I know that some dudes are probably like, “He’s lying! Every game and he has a wife and kids! How does he do it?”. Easy, my wife is mad cool and I live in Toronto, so my kids are usually in bed during most games. So back to Oscar the Eberle, from my view on the couch it looks like he’s definitely worked on his board game in the offseason. He’s playing a way more physically confident game this year than any other season that I can recall, which isn’t a whole lot since my mind has subconsciously erased many bad Oilers memories. But his attack on the forecheck has also kicked up a notch, and me likey! I don’t know if this is a result of the addition and influence of Milan Lucic, if it is something that Jordan set out to work on this offseason, or if it’s just happening with his “old age”. But I hope that Eberle keeps it up all year. Up until this point, he has a stat-line that goes a little something like this:
11GP 3G 4A 7P -5+/- (I’d definitely like to see some more goals from Eberle)
At the very start to the still-young season, I thought that Lucic was playing a strong, physically dominant game. But his play as of late has lacked that edge, most specifically I’m thinking of the Toronto game. Man, they could have used his muscle during those 60+ minutes in the 6ix. But I’ll touch on that game a bit later on. All I’m saying is, they signed Looch to lead, bang, score, and intimidate/police the ice. I hope that version comes back, and real soon! I have no worries that he won’t return. But a “physically quiet” Looch is an ineffective Looch, and that’s the version that has been hitting the ice recently. Milan’s stat-line is looking alright to start the season:
11GP 4G 3A 7P 0 +/- (he’s on pace for 30 goals at the moment, that I can’t complain about)
If MacT were still in charge, Kris Russell would have a 6 year contract ready for him at the end of the game.
— BLH (Edmonton Oilers Enthusiast} (@BeerLeagueHeroe) October 27, 2016
Is the Russell Honeymoon Over?
To say that this is a hot topic amongst the Oilers blogging community, would be an absolute understatement. Hot? More like a smoldering inferno of molten hot lava, burning within the Universe’s most active volcano. It’s the perfect scenario for the old “Analytics VS Non-Analytics” argument, FOR REAL!
Straight up though, I love analytics. I think that they add so many other dimensions to how we can track a player’s performance, flow of the game, etc… But with that being said, I am not going to pretend that I understand every advanced stat or even what goes into how these geniuses track them HaHa! That’s why I’m extremely happy that I work with the man, G-Money. Whom I personally believe is one of THE BEST in the Analytics/Advanced Stats world. I usually ask G any kind of analytical question that I have, or how a player’s advanced stats looked after a game. The man is named “Money” for a reason people.
So onto my Russell trip, the beginning of the season I thought he was looking pretty decent and playing a well-rounded, strong game. I was (unrealistically) wishful that he put some of his analytic woes behind him for good. But his play since around game five or six (somewhere around there) hasn’t been that great, it has kind of dropped off. Which has only added more fire for the analytics side of the argument. Plus, you can just clearly see that he isn’t playing that same strong game that he displayed through the first five or six. Hmmm, I think that history shows you which player we’ll see for the rest of the season. Don’t get me wrong, he’s fearless to put his body on the line and block all those shots. I also like his speed, and willingness to play the puck and move it up ice. But I think it’s a “what you see, is what you get” type of thing from here on out. But here’s to hoping that he proves me wrong for the Oilers sake. Currently, Russell has a stat-line that looks like this:
11GP 0G 3A 3P 6+/-
Did Hell Freeze Over? And No! I’m Not Talking About Another Eagles Reunion Tour!
Anton Lander scored a goal…what the what? My mind is blown…that is all.
10GP 1G 2A 3P 4+/- (Seriously, Anton Lander scored and is on pace for eight goals!)
Nazem “The Rat” Kadri and the First Installment of McDavid VS Matthews
First off, I’ll give credit where credit is due. The Toronto Maple Leafs did a decent job of shutting down Connor McDavid and they did it using a “Layered Defense” system. It wasn’t just Nazem Kadri himself. But let’s be honest, he did a great job of playing that annoying, pesky, “Esa Tikkanen” type of shadow role. He was very Esa-esque that night.
But back to the “Layered Defense”, the first layer was obviously Nazem, and then the second layer was most commonly Morgan Reilly. The third layer, and the one that the infamous Toronto Media wasn’t talking about was the great game by Frederik Andersen. All they talked about was Nazem Kadri’s defensive coming out party. Yes, the Leafs played Connor annoyingly well, but also look at that game this way, they faced an insanely hot Freddie Andersen that night. He stopped 44 out of 46 shots….PURE FIRE! So I think that was what really shut Connor and the rest of the team down.
But back to “The Rat”, why the bloody hell didn’t someone like I don’t know, ummm, Milan Lucic go and push him around, intimidate, or even face wash him and talk some smack for Pete’s sake? Dude, it was so infuriating watching his antics take place. It’s not just Looch’s fault either, ANYBODY should have stepped in and put an end to this Rat pushing around their captain. Like honestly, what the what? They better not let that kind of crap take place again.
So I think that was what really shut Connor and the rest of the team down HaHa. But back to “The Rat”, why the bloody hell didn’t someone like I don’t know, ummm, Milan Lucic go and push him around, intimidate, or even face wash him and talk some smack for Pete’s sake? Dude, it was so infuriating watching his antics take place. It’s not just Looch’s fault either, ANYBODY should have stepped in and put an end to this Rat pushing around their captain. Like honestly, what the what? They better not let that kind of crap take place again.
What it’s Like Living in the “Center of the Hockey Universe” and Not Be a Leafs Fan
Annoying HaHa…as I’m sure that you are all aware, the Toronto Sports Media is absolutely bonkers! I’m almost convinced that MLSE owns TSN, and SportsNet. HaHa! But seriously, thank goodness for the internet and live streaming, the NHL Centre Ice package, Android boxes, and alternative media. But living here also has it’s perks, I can visit the Hockey Hall of Fame whenever, and enjoy the Raptors and Blue Jays as well. Not to mention that 90% of my friends are Leafs fans, and we LOVE talking smack with each other. Before McDavid got drafted, it was next to impossible for me to find some Oilers gear to buy around here. I had to do my shopping online.
Well ladies and gentlemen, thanks for tripping with me again! Until next time, stay trippy my friends!
As always, you can chat and follow me Twitter @kosmicburrito
Click on the pic and grab a new 16-bit Fighting Looch tee!Dig skateboarding? Click the pic and grab this new “Thrasher Magazine” inspired tee!
